ASABA/Nigeria: The Deputy Governor of Delta State, Sir Monday Onyeme, PhD, has described the death of former Senator Peter Nwaoboshi as a major blow to the state’s political system, saying the late lawmaker was central to the power-sharing arrangement that has sustained peace and democratic stability in Delta State.
Onyeme made the remark on Thursday in Asaba when a delegation of senators paid a condolence visit to the Delta State Government and the family of the late senator.
Speaking on behalf of Governor Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori and the government of Delta State, the deputy governor thanked the visiting lawmakers for the show of love and solidarity, describing Nwaoboshi as a brother, a close friend and a committed party man whose contributions would remain indelible in the political history of the state.
“The late Senator Peter Nwaoboshi was fearless and widely loved. For those of us from Delta North in particular, we saw him as one of the main persons who established the political stability Delta State enjoys today,” Onyeme said.
He recalled that at a time when the unwritten power-sharing formula among the three senatorial districts appeared threatened, Nwaoboshi, then serving as state party chairman, played a decisive role in ensuring its survival.
“At a point, it looked as if the arrangement would not work, but one of the people who made sure it worked was Senator Nwaoboshi. Without that intervention, one wonders what the lot of Delta State would have been today. Through his efforts and those of others, we now enjoy a very peaceful and stable political environment,” he added.
Onyeme said he was particularly pleased that Nwaoboshi’s former colleagues in the Senate spoke glowingly about him, noting that the tributes from outside the state showed that the late lawmaker represented Delta State with honour and distinction in the Red Chamber.
“It gladdens our hearts when we hear good things about him coming from people outside our state. It shows that he represented us very well. We thank you for coming to condole with Delta State and the immediate family, and we pray that God grants us long life and spares us this kind of loss again,” he said.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, who represented Edo South between 2015 and 2023, said the senators came into Delta State on a sad mission to mourn “a very good friend, colleague and brother” in the 8th and 9th Senates.
Urhoghide said Nwaoboshi’s death came as a huge shock, describing his political journey from party secretary to state chairman and later senator for two consecutive terms as remarkable and worthy of admiration.
“We know his political trajectory in Delta State. He was a very strong force from Delta in the Senate, a man of character and reverence. His death is a great loss not only to Delta State but to the country and the Senate as an institution,” he said.
Other dignitaries present during the condolence visit included Senators Emmanuel Aguariavwado and Ighoyota Amori, as well as Sir Christopher Osakwe.
